Tell
the Cambridge City Council to drop
all charges
immediately!!In
response the unwarranted arrests of 8 activist at Lafayette Square
in April, we are calling for a rally to be held to demand that the
Cambridge City Council drop all charges against the accused. The 8 were
arrested at a Homes Not Jails event while attempting to plant flowers
and clean up a vacant lot just outside of Central Square. They are
currently facing trumped up felonies charges.

On Monday, May 24th, we will rally at 5pm outside the Cambridge City
Hall. Then at 5:30pm, we plan to fill the auditorium and demand that
the City Council move to drop all the charges against these community
organizers.

This event will take place two days before the pre-trial hearing set
for May 26th at the Middlesex County Courthouse (near the Lechmere
T-Stop).

On
Wednesday, April 14th, 2004,
eight Boston area activists were arrested on felony charges at
Lafayette Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts. These activists were
working on an on-going community cleanup operation that had begun with
the March To Abolish Poverty on April 3rd. Lafayette Square was seized
by the city through imminent domain with the promise of converting the
abandoned lot into a public park. Instead the area has been left to
rot. Any passersby would notice endless graffiti, broken bottles, and
countless other unsightly litter.

Homes Not Jails,
a housing
awareness organization worked hand-in-hand with March To Abolish
Poverty Organizers to call attention to the broken promises at
Lafayette Square. Organizers for the event worked with city police and
the city managers office. All of the proper permits were filed, and all
sides were informed on the route. The march ended at Lafayette Square
where Homes Not Jails activists rallied the crowd around the issue. The
cleanup process began that day. Between April 3rd and April 14th, the
cleanup crew had successfully planted a tree and flowers, and had
managed to remove the broken glass and assorted trash. Nobody knows why
the Cambridge Police Department decided to shut down the cleanup when
they did. The crowd was surprised to see the overwhelming police
presence suddenly appear on April 14th, as the police had known of the
operation since the beginning. After the arrests, local media began
reporting a strange story regarding the storage of materials at
Lafayette Square for use during this summer's Democratic National
Convention. The origins of this claim are unknown, and the claim itself
is rather odd. This claim is most likely manifest of the growing
hysteria as the DNC rapidly approaches.

While the motives
of the police are
unknown at this point, what is clear is that these arrests prove the
vulnerability of all activists in the Boston area. In the modern
political climate, all community organizers it seems are at risk of
arrest - regardless of how low-key their work may be. On May 24th,
there will be a rally in front of Cambridge City Hall calling for the
city council to drop all the charges. The Lafayette 8 are due back in
court at 9:00am May 26th at the Cambridge Courthouse on Thorndike
Street, near Lechmere Station. Please show your support by attending
the rally and pretrial hearing.

Comments

Does the March to Abolish Poverty still have active organizing list? has this been publicized on any of them? While the arrests were separate fromt he March, I wonder if folks on the list might be interseted in coming out in support. Indymedia's one way to publicize, but more publicity is always better!